Steam-engine.



No; 695,45l.

(No Model.)

` l Patented Mar. I8, |902. K. FITZPATRICK.

` STEAM ENGINE.

(Application mea mai. s, 1901.)

' 4 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 695,45I. Patented Mar. I8, |902.

K. FITZPATBICK.

STEAM ENGINE.

(Application med Mar. s. 1901.)

l. l y I I\O/ lI; O P d@ n 2 'l Srv/f2 La@ F 0^ 1;" 7 d wr@ Nil- 595.45l. `Patented Mar. I8,

K. F|TZRATR|CK.

STEAM ENGINE. (Application lad Max'r 8,'1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-#Sheet 3.

' I Jlionjzys of the invention-relating to various details` being fully set forth in the following specifi- UNITED STATES PATENT FEic'E.

KIRBYEITZPATRICK, F HARTsvILLE, TENNESSEE.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patentll-l'o. 695,451,dated.1v[arc'h 18, 1902.

lippncanohgiea March 8.1901. saisine. 50,379. (Numan.)

series of cylinders to secure a second expansion of steam, further objects and advantages cation.

In the drawings forming a portion of this speciiication, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figurel is a sectional view taken longitudinally of the cylinderof the engine and showing the valve mechanisms and ports in diagram. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cylinder with parts of the exterior mechanism in elevation. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 and showing the pistons in their opposite positions. Fig. 4 is a sectional View showing the arrangement of the valve for the piston. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspectiveviews of the valves for the pistons and partitions. Fig.

7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and showing the parts shifted for single-expansion work. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the shifting link. i L Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a cylinder 5, which is divided into three expansion-chambers 6, 7, and 8 by means of a transverse partition 9 and a second partition 10, and in these three chambersare disposed three pistons 11, 12, and 13, one in each` chamber, and all three connected to acommon piston-rod 14, which may be connected in any suitable' manner with a driven shaft. (Not shown.) Two chests l5 and 16 are provided,the former being for feed-steam and the latter for exhaust-steam. With the chest 15 are connected two groups of ports of three each, one group comprising ports 17, 18, and 19 and the other group comprising the ports 20, 21, and

i 22. The ports 17, 18, and 19 are vconnected with the left-hand ends' of theseveral expansion-chambers, and the ports`20," 21, and 22 are connected with the right-hand ends of the cylinders oreXpansion-chambers,and for each group of ports 4there is provided-a slide-valve 23 and 24, respectively, connected with acommon shift-rod 25, which when operated moves thevalves to cover and uncover the groups of ports interchangeably.` v Two groups, each of three ports, lead from the expansion-chambers to the chest 16, the ports 26, 27, and 28 of onegroup being connected with the left-hand ends of the, expansion-chambers, while the ports 29, 30, and-3110i? the other group are connected with the'right-handl ends of the chambers, these `ports being exhaust-ports. The two groupsI of 'ports have slide-valves 32 and 33' formovement 'tocover the groups interchange'ably,-;and` these 'valves are connected with a valve-rod 34. The rods`25 and 34 are connected at their ends with parallel side pieces 35 and 36 to form a rectangular frame,- and these side pieces have rods 37 and 38, which project through the ends of the cham` bers 6 and 8 and into the paths of movement of the pistons 11 and 13, respectively, so that.

the frame, vincluding the rods 25 and 34, will be reciprocated from the pistons. With this construction it will be seen that if steam be supplied to the chest 15 the pistons will be reciprocated in their expansion-chambers, the cylinders operating in multiple.

When the engine is to be used as a doubleexpansion engine, all of the feed-ports, with the exception of the ports 19 and 20, leading tothefinnerv ends of the chambers 6 and 8, are cut ed, while the exhaust-ports 28 and 29, leading from the inner ends of these chambers 6 and 8, are also cut off. For thus cutting offthe ports they are provided with rotary valves 39 and 40, having cranks connected with shift-rods 41 and 42, which in turn are connected with a hand-lever 43 for actuationthereby. In the double-expansion arrangement steam is permittedito enter the chamber 8 through port-19 behind the piston 13, moving the piston-rod andzall three pistons to the' right. After the pistons have moved to the right valves are opened through the piston 13 and the partition 10, and theA piston 12 being then close up to the partition IOS l0 the steam in chamber S further expands and runs through the valved opening in partition 10 and acting against the adjacent face of the piston 12 moves the latter to the left. "When steam is thus acting on piston 1,2 to move it to the lett, port 2O is uncovered and steam enters between piston 11 and partition 9 and forces piston 11 to the left. Vhen the movement to the left has then terminated, cylinders 7 and 8 exhaust from their righthand. ends and valves in piston 11 and partition 9 open to permit of expansion of steam into chamber 7 behind piston 12 and against the left-hand end of the cylinder to move the piston to the right, a new charge of steam being at the same time admitted to chamber 8 against piston 13.

The valves for the two pistons 11 and 13 and the two partitions 9 and 10 consist of two rods 40 and 41, passed into the opposite ends of the cylinder and projecting with their inner or adjacent ends into the chamber 7, said rods being cylindrical and lying in arcuate recesses in the inner face of the cylinder. These two valves have cnt-away portions 42, and when the valves are in one position their rounded sides project into the cylinder and completely lill arcuate openings in the partitions and the peripheries of the pistons 11 and 13, so that there can be no passage of steam from one side to the other of the partitions and pistons, and when the valves are rotated to their opposite positions their rounded sides will lie in the recesses or channels in the inner face of the cylinder, while their cut-away portions will be turned inwardly, so that the openings in the pistons and partitions will not be closed and there will be a free passage of steam. As the second expansion occurs alternately at opposite ends of the cylinder, the valves must be rocked so as close and open the passages or ports in partitions and pistons correspondingly, and for this purpose the following mechanism is provided:

Pivoted links 45 and 6 are mounted upon suitable supports and are adapted to be rocked from the rod 34:1, with which they are connected by means of collars 35 and 36', mounted upon the rod, and which collars lie between pins 17 on the rod 34E to permit of some lost motion of the rod with respect to the collars, these pins being adapted to strike their respective collars alternately, so as to move them and rock the links. The links have each a block 49 mounted therein for sliding movement to and from a position to lie over the pivot of the link, and this block of each link is connected, by means of a pitman or connecting-rod 50, with a laterally-projecting arm 51 on the protruding end of the adjacent valve, so that as the link is rocked the valve will be rocked. When the engine is used as a single-expansion engine, these valves must of course remain closed, and for 'this purpose the blocks 49 are connected with hand-lever 43, as shown, so that when the feed and exhaust ports are cut into operation the blocks t9 will be slid along the links te' their inactive positions.

Vith this construction it will be seen that there is a saving over the usual compound engine wherein the steam is transferred from one cylinder to another, owing to the absence of friction incident to transference of steam and other causes incident thereto. In the present construction the valved piston is, in eilect, taken away, as also the valved partition, and the steam expands then between the middle piston and the head of the cylinder.

An addition al advantage in the present construction is that when using as a compound engine or as a single-expansion engine the number of cylinders maybe cut down in case of a break.

What is claimed is- 1. An engine comprising a cylinder having partitions and resultant end chambers and an intermediate expansion-chamber, a piston in each expansion-chamber and having a con1- mon piston-rod, inlet-ports for supplying steam to the inner ends of the outer chambers, outlet-ports for exhausting from the outer ends of the outer chambers and both ends of the inner chamber, and valved ports for communicating the expansion ends of the outer chambers alternately with the adjacent ends of the inner chamber'.

2. An engine comprising a cylinder having partitions and resultant end chambers and an intermediate expansion-chamber, a piston in each expansion-chamber and havinga common piston-rod, means for supplying steam alternately to the inner ends of the end chambers, ports through the partitions and the pistons in the end cylinders, valves for opening and closing the ports in the pistons and their adjacent partitions, to permit of access of steam to opposite sides of the inner piston alternately, and exhaust-'ports for the charnbers.

3. An engine comprising a cylinder including a series of expansion-chambers having each a piston and having a common rod, in let and outlet ports for each end of each cham-v ber, valved ports through the partitions between the chambers, and means for alternately opening all feed and exhaust ports to operation, and for closing certain of said ports simultaneously with the opening ol' thc ports in the pistons and partitions.

4. An engine comprising a cylinder having end chambers and an intermediate expansionchamber, a piston in each chamber having a common piston-rod, inlet and exhaust ports for the chambers, valve mechanism for connecting the exhaust-ports of the outer cylinders interchangeably with the ends of the intermediate chamber, a common feed-pipe, a common exhaust-pipe, and valve mechanism for connecting the cylinders in multiple between the feed and exhaust pipes.

5. A multiple-cylinder engine adapted for use as a direct-acting or as a compound engine and comprising in combination, three ICO cylinders arranged in tandem, and having exhaust of the end eylindersto theintermeseparating-partitions provided With valved diate cylinder when the engine is changed ports, pistons in eaoh of said cylinders, a pisfrom a direot-aetingtoa compound. ton-rod common to all of said pistons, the end In testimony thatI-olailn the foregoing as 5 pistons having valved ports to permitv the pasmy own I have hereto afxed my signature in 15 sage of steam therethrough, means for openthe presence of two Witnesses. ing and closing the valved ports of the par- KIRBY FITZPATRICK. ttions and pistons, inlet and exhaust ports Witnesses: leading to all of said cylinders, and means I E. R. S. DOYLE, Io :for closing certain of said ports to direct the F. S. APPLEMAN. 

